Guest OPointyDog Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 A little history: Last winter and spring right after we adopted him, our 5-year-old male, Mika, had pretty severe diarrhea that went on for months. He had a poor, dry coat and was underweight. He was tested for pancreatic insufficiency (negative) and the only abnormal part of his bloodwork was that B12 was low (175 at that point, normal range starts at 250). We went through a whole lot of different kinds of foods, novel proteins, home cooking, hypoallergenic food, etc. and finally the diarrhea cleared up when he was put on a prescription high fiber food (Purina DCO). We also started B12 shots once per month. Retested the B12 in June, and it was up to 375, but vet felt that given that he was on a supplement, it should have been higher, so we continued the shots until October. Just had him retested last week after 4 months off the shots, and it's back down to 258, so technically in the "normal range" but at the very low end. His coat is gorgeous and shiny now, his weight is excellent, and he's got perfect poop. No clinical signs. The vet said we could either 1) wait and retest in another 3 months or 2) restart the B12 shots. The vet feels there's probably some low-level gastrointestinal disease going on in the small intestine, given his history. Anybody dealt with this? Would you wait and retest, or start the shots up again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vjgrey Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 (edited) Lucy is on long-term monthly B-12 shots for probable IBD. We went through the dosing, stopping the B-12 and retesting, and hers was still low, so she's now on the shots indefinitely. They've made a HUGE difference in her appetite, energy and overall health. The B-12 isn't expensive, and the techs showed us how to administer it ourselves. It's just part of our monthly routine for her now, like flea and heartworm preventatives. If it's working for him (sounds like it is), I'd just continue the shots. Edited February 18, 2014 by vjgrey Quote Valerie w/ Cash (CashforClunkers) & Lucy (Racing School Dropout)Missing our gorgeous Miss Diamond (Shorty's Diamond), sweet boy Gabe (Zared) and Holly (ByGollyItsHolly), who never made it home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 If it's not broke don't fix it-I would continue the injections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OPointyDog Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 To be clear, he's been off the shots now for 4.5 months and seems fine - no changes in appetite or health that I can see. It's the things I can't see that I wonder about. I don't mind giving them. Any down side to B12 shots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesiRayMom Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 No down side that I've heard of. I have a senior on B12 shots. He started out once a month, but you could just see the downturn about halfway through the month, so now he's on every 2 weeks. It's made a world of difference in his quality of life. Quote Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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